› added 9 years ago

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TIL that NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson calculated the trajectory for the space flight of Alan Shepard by hand, and was called on by NASA officials to verify the computer’s calculations of John Glenn’s orbit around Earth.

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QJ1a TIL the sequel to “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” involves Wonka and the Buckets narrowly escaping death at the hands(?) of vicious aliens in a government-funded space hotel and traveling into Hell (AKA Minusland) to save Grandma Georgina.
MNdV TIL That an Ethiopian girl was kidnapped and beaten by 7 men until a pride of lions chased her attackers off. The lions then stayed and defended her until help could arrive.
8eBOa TIL that in Roman Republic women were not given personal names. Rather their names would reflect their ancestry. Sisters would have the same names differentiated by a number (or if there are only two sisters they be called the older and the younger) and later in life by their husband's name
VMp5Z TIL that the Earth would have to turn once every 84 minutes or 17 times faster than the current speed in order for humans to be thrown off the planet, when the centrifugal force would be bigger than the force of gravity that holds us "down".
4XerN TIL that an 18-year-old girl called Rae Heim ran across America almost entirely barefoot. She only wore shoes on some hard terrain. She ran 3,437.5 miles in 8 months and raised more than $10,000 for charity. She started running barefoot at 16 after breaking a big toe, and kept it up after it healed.